Blue-water bite as good as it gets to the southeast of Orange Beach

Steve Morrow of Gulf Shores caught his first wahoo last week while trolling amid grass southeast of Orange Beach. (Submitted by Chris Vescey)

Offshore anglers now have another "trophy" fish to target while bottom fishing in the Gulf.

Amberjack season reopened Wednesday, leaving only red snapper and triggerfish off limits.

Squirrelly weather over the past few days had made it tough on everyone, let alone fishermen trying to head offshore. Calm conditions have quickly given way to strong wind and intense thunderstorms across the region.

Even if the fishermen stay dry, the wind being sucked off the Gulf and into the landward-heading storms has turned the Gulf and Mississippi Sound alike into uncomfortable washboards no matter the size of boat.

The wave action has churned up noticeably dingier water in Mobile Bay and through the Sound. A pretty steep rise on the Alabama River expected to crest Friday afternoon will also be sending some muddy water south through the Mobile-Tensaw Delta over the weekend. Fortunately, the wider, muddier Tombigbee does not appear to be matching that rise.

Prior to this current unpredictable weather pattern, Chris Vescey at Sam's in Orange Beach said the tuna bite around the rigs has been a little slower, but there are still some decent fish coming from farther southwest. Most are being taken while trolling with small ballyhoo and by live bait deep.

He said the open-water bite to the southeast has more than made up for the slower action around the rigs.

Vescey and his crew have fished almost every week around the Nipple and Elbow and have had consistent action with wahoo, dolphin, yellowfin tuna and both blue and white marlin. He said most of the fish were caught while trolling both artificial lures and lure/ballyhoo combinations.

Vescey noted there has been a lot of scattered grass down to the southeast, which has made for a little more work keeping lures clear, but the extra effort has been worth it.

The crew has had at least two shots on billfish every trip this season and, he said, the action doesn't look to be slowing anytime soon.

Along with the trolling bite, Vescey said the swordfish bite has been good as well. The fishing has been best at night along the 200-fathom line while drifting with baits of squid and Boston mackerel.

Vescey suggested setting out a few baits and positioning them at different depths from 100 to 400 feet. Swords don't always run line off at the strike. Sometimes the line goes slack or the line angle changes so paying attention to your lines makes a huge difference, he said.

The inshore bite remains consistent across the region. It was encouraging earlier this week to get reports about a couple of fishermen finding keeper speckled trout biting under diving birds on the flats immediately west of the lower Tensaw River at Goat Island. The fish were reportedly running shrimp.

Specks are still coming from the rigs in lower Mobile Bay, and free-lined live croaker is providing the cleanest bite. A live shrimp suspended under a slip cork will surely be eaten by something.

On Tuesday afternoon, the kids and I caught specks, white trout and gafftopsail catfish off the east point on the north side of the Katrina Cut Rocks. The fish ate live finger mullet and pogies we'd netted.

They liked it with a ¼-ounce split-shot pinched about 12 inches above the hook to slow down the speedy finger mullet.

BAY AREA GRINNELL RODEO:

The 11th annual Bay Area Grinnell Rodeo to benefit a catfish roundup for the handicapped will be held from safe light until 3 p.m. on Saturday out of Lower Bryants Landing near Stockton.

Sponsored by the Bay Area Bassmasters, the event guarantees a $3,400 payout with $1,000 going to the winning team. A voluntary pre-tournament meeting will begin at 6 p.m. today at Wright's Auto Parts in Bay Minette. The entry fee is $80 per boat, which includes launch and $10 toward the lunker pot.

For more information, call Jerry Davis at 251-937-8682 or Larry Morris at 251-402-8072.

ROTARY TARPON TOURNAMENT AUG. 11

The Mobile Rotary and Sunrise Rotary tarpon tournament will be held from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 11 out of the Bay Bank Pavilion near Dauphin Island Marina.

This is catch-and-release tarpon tournament with designator verification required. The entry fee is $125 per boat. Other categories include blackfish, jack crevalle and lunker speckled trout.

A mandatory captains reception will begin at 5:40 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Bluegill Restaurant on the Causeway. Designator placards will be handed out.

Fishing can begin at 6 a.m. Aug. 11 and scales are scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Regular rodeo tickets cost $20. Jack crevalle, king mackerel and speckled trout creel jackpot tickets cost $25 each with a two-person-per-boat minimum required. Anglers can weigh only five fish per day for a total of 10 fish in the speck jackpot, with the heaviest creel winning. The biggest fish takes all in the other jackpots.

The Conde Cavaliers will again host the Junior Anglers tournament for ages 15 and under. The entry fee is $10.

For more information, call Chuck Hall at 251-367-6077, Mike Stewart at 251-422-7366 or e-mail conderodeo@att.net.